Tchia's Characters Are Voiced By New Caledonia Residents
To bring authenticity to Tchia, the developers at Awaceb hired New Caledonia residents to voice characters in the game. The tropical adventure follows the titular character Tchia, who can take control of any object or animal around her as she traverses a colorful world. Every character speaks in one of New Caledonia’s native languages, Drehu.
Tchia offers a slew of game mechanics from gliding to ukulele-playing, leading many to compare it to AAA video games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Last of Us Part 2. Even Tchia’s main feature where the player can become anything, taking control of any animal or object in the game, can draw similarities to Cappy’s capture mechanic in Super Mario Odyssey. As exciting as those comparisons may be, it comes down to the New Caledonian culture as the game’s main draw to entice curious players. Having voice actors from the South Pacific archipelago helps with the game’s authenticity.
Related: Tchia's Playable Ukulele Not Inspired By TLOU2's Guitar, Says Dev
Awaceb co-founders Phil Crifo and Thierry Boura spoke to Play Magazine (via GamesRadar), revealing a little bit about what goes into creating an authentic game like Tchia. The duo, along with much of their team, is from New Caledonia, a French colony. While French is considered their official language, there are around thirty languages used by the Kanak people that make up New Caledonia. According to the developers, the video game characters are voiced by local talent in their native language, Drehu, the island’s most-spoken language. Crifo explained:
“The team traveled around the island searching for people, then asked them if they would give voice acting a shot. The language creates a very unique soundscape for
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